Hometeam Division 2 football: Tomahawks’ theme to ‘compete every day’

When Justin McKay took over the Algonquin Regional program this year, he knew one of his major challenges was getting the Tomahawks to believe in themselves.

Since day one of camp, McKay and his staff has preached the concept of competing and improving every day. And even though Algonquin is 1-3, McKay feels like the message is working.

“Our theme is ‘compete every day,’ ” McKay said. “These kids have bought into that idea and have been working hard at practice every day. They are improving each day and that is something that is important to us as a program. We want to keep getting better every day.”

The Tomahawks won their opener in impressive fashion against Burncoat High, but that was followed up by three losses — albeit to strong teams in Wachusett Regional, Nashoba Regional and St. Peter-Marian. That was no huge shock to McKay, who implemented a new offense and a new defense, and he knew it would take time for the players to learn those systems.

Unfortunately, Algonquin’s schedule does not allow for a slow learning curve.

In those losses, though, McKay has seen a lot of positive traits from his players.

For one, he has been pleased with the way the defense has elevated its game against some good offenses, and how his players are more aggressive at the point of attack. He credits defensive coordinator Mark Allen with getting the defense to be more confident and proactive rather than reactive.

“The defense is making great strides,” McKay said. “We are almost always where we are supposed to be and almost always making the right reads. The kids are seeing this and seeing they are in the right spot to make the plays. Now, we just need to work on execution. We are right there.”

McKay lauded the play of his two inside linebackers, junior Michael Baker and senior Michael Ryan. They are near the top of the team in tackles and have emerged as leaders in other ways as well.

“We are seeing tremendous effort from those two, which helps push everyone else to be better as well,” McKay said. “They have been helpful in making sure everyone knows their assignments and have been great leaders on and off the field. They have stepped up their game and shown the aggressive attitude we want to have on defense.”

Though it may not show on the scoreboard — Algonquin has scored just three points since putting up 26 against Burncoat — McKay feels the offense also is showing a ton of improvement, and he expects the team to start putting more points on the board as that improvement continues.

He has been especially pleased with the growth of the line, which has faced some stiff competition in its three losses but has made the best of the experience. McKay said the line has developed into a unit and is working together to help the offense move the ball.

McKay also said quarterback Mike Halloran and the backfield are handling the transition from a passing to a running offense quite well.

“We definitely struggled against Wachusett and in the first half against Nashoba,” McKay said. “But we are starting to pick up the offense. We moved the ball up and down the field (against SPM) but we couldn’t get it in the end zone. We’re hoping that will change as we move along with the season and continue to get better.”

Things do not get any easier for the Tomahawks, who travel to Hudson this weekend before hosting fourth-ranked powerhouse Leominster High the following week.

“The kids and the community are seeing us compete, and (the players) are starting to believe in themselves,” McKay said. “It’s a great thing to see.”